Page 24 of When In Rome

He holds my gaze for a long time before he looks around the room. “I don’t see any bodies so…”

“What?”

“You said we did something really bad last night, and I’m telling you…I don’t see any bodies lying around the room so we didn’t commit murder.”

I shove him hard. “This is serious, Rome! I think…I think we got married.”

His eyes widen and he has a look of quiet surprise on his face…but not shock. “Okay, ba…sweetheart, I want to think this through and try to remember what happened but… you’re going to have to cover up your tits or I’m never going to be able to do anything other than put one of them in my mouth.”

“Oh my God!” I jerk the sheet up and wrap it around me. “I…Rome! Please!”

“Yeah, you begging like that ain’t helping a thing, baby.”

I fall back and let out a small shriek.

“Listen, I think…I think we would know if we got married. It takes a while. You have to get the proper paperwork and…don’t you?”

“I don’t freakin’ know!” I sit back up and say a small grateful prayer that the room doesn’t spin again. “All I remember is standing next to you on a beach dressed in white while someone spoke…he looked pretty official, Rome.”

“Oh yeah. I remember that…we worried we couldn’t find a translator in time.”

“In time for…?”

“Yeah, I think it’s exactly what you think it is.”

“Oh my God!”

“I remember taking you to lunch and both of us polishing off a bottle of wine…and then dinner and more wine and maybe…rum and vodka. How are we not dead?”

“I’m eighteen! I’m not supposed to drink.”

“No, I told you it was okay here. And we…started dancing.”

“Oh, and then we ran into your friend and his girlfriend.” I help him fill in some blanks with what I can remember.

“And they started joking with us about being married…and…”

“You got a special license from the Bishop.” My heart sinks as the reality of our words begins to really sink in.

“And you went with her to…”

“Buy a dress and find flowers.” My eyes fill with tears as I finish. “Oh my God, Rome. We got married last night.”

“I think it was right before the sun set actually.”

My temper flares and I grab the closest pillow to me and let it fly. Right into his smug, too-handsome, unconcerned face!

Chapter Twenty-One

Roman

“Hey! It’s not all my fault! You were a willing participant.” I try to think, but my head is one big swollen bubble about to pop at any moment.

“Rome…what are we going to do?”

“Um, ba…sweetheart, I’m not taking it personal that you seem upset that you woke up married to me, and I understand the shock, I do…but, have you thought about…”

“What? Thought about what?”

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